Shares of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the state-run aerospace and defence company, fell 2% in Thursday’s trade to around ₹4,834 apiece after the company’s operating profitability missed Street estimates, despite reporting a 16% year-on-year (YoY) increase in net profit for the September quarter.
The defence major reported a consolidated net profit of ₹1,935.64 crore for the quarter ended September 30, 2026, compared with ₹1,669.05 crore in the corresponding period last year, supported by higher revenue and project deliveries. Revenue from operations increased 14.9% YoY to ₹7,613.25 crore from ₹6,628.61 crore.
However, operating profitability remained relatively subdued. HAL’s EBITDA is estimated to have increased just 2.3% YoY to around ₹1,836 crore in Q2 FY27, compared with approximately ₹1,794.87 crore in the year-ago quarter.
Consequently, the EBITDA margin contracted to 24.1% from 27.1%, highlighting pressure on operating profitability despite healthy revenue growth.
For the first half of FY27, HAL reported a 15.5%
YoY increase in net profit to ₹3,525.30 crore, while revenue from operations grew 14.7% to ₹13,128.42 crore. EBITDA stood at approximately ₹3,374.37 crore, up from ₹3,172.09 crore in H1 FY26, while the EBITDA margin declined to 25.7% from 27.7%.
Geopolitical tensions and defence orders support long-term prospects
Escalating geopolitical tensions across regions are prompting governments to increase defence spending, creating a growing pipeline of orders for manufacturers of military equipment, aircraft and defence components. This broader trend is expected to support demand for domestic defence manufacturers such as HAL.
During the quarter, GE announced the shipment of three F404 engines to HAL, taking cumulative deliveries for the Tejas Mk1A programme to 10 engines. The development addresses one of the key bottlenecks that had been delaying aircraft deliveries under the programme.
Separately, HAL handed over two Tejas final operational clearance (FOC) trainer aircraft, three HTT-40 trainer aircraft and four Dhruv NG helicopters in September 2026, according to analysts at Kotak Institutional Equities, who expect these deliveries to support the company’s earnings.
In another development, HAL’s board approved the acquisition of the remaining 50% stake in its joint venture, HATSOFF Helicopter Technologies, which will make the company a wholly owned subsidiary of HAL.
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